Experience, desire to help others are cornerstones of Envision Real Estate

“When we began toying with the idea of going out on our own, we sat around a table and just talked about why selling properties, whether commercial or residential, appealed to us and what we wanted to help our clients achieve,” said Smith, a partner with over 35 years of experience. “The words ‘vision’ and ‘envision’ kept coming up and eventually became the name of our company as it reflects what we try to do with the people who have chosen us to help them attain their dream of property ownership.”

Smith, who grew up in Ingalls, began her real estate career in Colorado before moving back to Kansas. She saw selling properties as an opportunity for her to do something that at the time was considered a non-traditional career for women.

“In those days, if a woman worked outside the home her choices were pretty much limited to being a teacher, nurse, clerk, or secretary,” Smith said. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of those career paths, they just weren’t for me. When we came to Garden City in 1980, this was a great way for me to meet and get to know people. I’ve enjoyed it ever since.”

For Bob Rodriquez, who moved to Garden City from Greeley, Colorado in 1985, beginning in residentials eventually led to his involvement in finding buildings or constructing new ones for tenants with commercial or industrial needs.

“I really enjoy marrying up people with the right property, whether it be a piece of ground, building a new home, or even helping them find a rental,” said Rodriquez. “Even though I enjoy selling commercial real estate, there is nothing more satisfying than selling a family their first home.”

Rodriquez, also a partner, said that in addition to the over 100 years of experience the Envision members have, the commitment to providing excellent customer service and keeping abreast of economic development within the county also helps them anticipate upcoming market changes and demands.

“We are all members of the Kansas Association of Realtors, the National Association of Realtors, and have all served in some capacity on the Garden City Board of Realtors,” said Rodriquez. “It’s important to us that we stay current with all the changes being made within real estate.”

A native of Holcomb, partner Diane Crockett brings over 21 years of experience to Envision having initially gotten into real estate because of her interest in interior design and decorating.

“I’ve always been intrigued with how people decorated their homes, their creative uses of color and texture, and it was actually my father-in-law Elvin “Davy” Crockett who suggested I give selling real estate a shot,” said Crockett with a smile. “I got into the business back when interest rates were at 18 percent and if we found anything lower than that it was truly a cause for celebration!”

Crockett, whose son Jason designed the company’s logo, said it didn’t take long before it became more important to her to help people who have worked hard get into their dream home than it was to observe decorating ideas. Said Crockett, “It is one of the best feelings in the world is to help someone overcome obstacles that prevent them from landing their desired home. You come away knowing it was your years of experience, sheer tenacity, and problem solving capabilities that helped them to first envision their home and then make that dream come true.”

Making her way from Georgia and the shores of South Carolina to Colorado at the age of 19 before settling in Garden City in 1989, Peggy Dennis-Glunt is the “rookie” on the team with 16 years of residential real estate experience. Needing to find work but not sure what she wanted to do, Dennis-Glunt took a friend’s advice to take a shot at selling homes and discovered not only was she good at it, she loved it.

“For me, I try to treat my clients the way I want my family treated,” said Dennis-Glunt. “It may stem from my Southern upbringing but everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and good customer service directly addresses those two things.”

Dennis-Glunt, the fourth partner, said there are so many moving parts to becoming a home owner that staying on top of all the details is what makes the sometimes emotional and certainly nerve-racking journey to signing the final papers such a challenge for most people.

“Showing a home is the easy part,” said Dennis-Glunt. “Getting through to closing on a property is certainly the hardest and yet the most rewarding part of this work as you have been with the buyer through almost every emotion there is, held their hand, given out hugs, shared their disappointment when a deal didn’t go through and experienced the joy when they finally realize that the keys they hold are to their new home. I just love it.”